Freedom for the Weekend: Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

by Amanda Kloer · 2010-04-09 13:00:00 UTC
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Well, it's Friday afternoon, and that means the weekend is almost here! W00t! Perhaps you're reading this blog because you're bored at work or school and you're thinking about what you want to do this weekend. How about spending part of your weekend fighting slavery? Each week I'll profile a different anti-trafficking nonprofit who you can connect with to help free slaves and prevent slavery around the world. So, spend a couple hours this weekend getting to know this nonprofit through their website, and then get involved!

This Week's Profile: The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA)

The Bottom Line: LAFLA has been providing civil legal services to poor and low-income people in Los Angeles County for over 80 years. During that time, they have helped many exploited workers and human trafficking victims find legal justice.

What They Do: In addition to the dozens of other forms of legal assistance they give, LAFLA has a specialized service center for human trafficking victims, including help for immigrant victims to obtain legal status, contact family members, and qualify for benefits from the U.S. government.

What Can I Do?: If you are a lawyer or a law student, you can volunteer to work with LAFLA clients on individual cases. They are also looking for law firms to work with on larger pro bono projects. You can also donate to or sponsor LAFLA's work,

Why They Rock:They have hot lines in seven different languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Japanese, Cambodian, Korean, and Vietnamese. With language barriers often being a huge reason foreign trafficking victims don't seek help, LAFLA is making assistance accessible for those who need it.

So now that you've got some basic information on LAFLA, visit their website this weekend and get involved.  And on Monday morning when everyone else is talking about sleeping in and watching TV over the weekend, you can say, "What did I do this weekend?  Oh, just the usual — abolition of slavery."

Do you have a favorite nonprofit you'd like to see featured here?  If so, let me know!

Photo credit: ifindkarma

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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